Ideally, the fingerprint reader would be used in conjunction with a PIN for maximum security, but this fingerprint reader appears not to do that. Hopefully a future version will.

The SmartMetric biometric credit card is the only self powered card in the world that a bank can issue to its customers knowing that it will work for their customers anywhere and anytime they want.

The cards work with existing EMV chip readers, which American retailers broadly adopted last year. Like all security features, fingerprint scans aren’t foolproof.

The new biometric-powered contactless cards use fingerprint recognition to authenticate the cardholder, in an effort to cut down on in-store fraud.

Visa, the financial services giant, thinks so. The company, which backs credit, debit and prepaid cards, has started pilot tests of cards that have a built-in fingerprint reader.

But for those who fancy experimenting with the format it’s still possible to make a basic card reader using LEDs and light sensors, as [Nino Ivanov] has done using an Arduino Uno as the brains.

Here's how it works: Your fingerprint pattern is encrypted and stored on the card's EMV chip using a fingerprint reader embedded in the opposite end of the card.

What next? Credit cards with fingerprint sensors? Turns out that is MasterCard's latest invention: A new credit card with an integrated fingerprint sensor, which aims to fight in-store fraud.

With Japanese consumers only just becoming comfortable with the use of payment cards, this explains why it is the only market left that will adopt the fingerprint reader-enhanced payment card.

New technology that could give a further layer of security when using a bank card has been trialled. A fingerprint reader is built into the card itself. It stores the details of your fingerprint ...

MasterCard is testing a contactless payment card with a built-in fingerprint reader that can authorize high-value payments without requiring the user to enter a PIN.